Increasing Student Interest in Global Scholarship

| November 29, 2012

Forty students recently attended an information session on Fulbright program opportunities for study, research and teaching abroad. The session, sponsored by the Office of Global Affairs (OGA), provided information about the different types of Fulbright awards and the application process.

Sergio Matviuk, executive director of OGA, opened the session. "Regent University is committed to fostering global competencies for students to become Christian leaders that make an impact in the world," he said. "International scholarship is a great means to develop those global competencies. Fulbright programs offer a unique opportunity for American students to get a prestigious international and cross-cultural scholarship experience."

The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs under the U.S. Department of State. The program began in 1946. Its objective is to increase mutual understanding of people between countries.

The program achieves this goal by providing over 310,000 participants with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research aimed at finding solutions to shared international concerns. Annually, Fulbright gives awards to approximately 8,000 applicants and operates in over 155 countries.

Dr. Almarie Munley, assistant professor in the School of Undergraduate Studies and Regent's Fulbright advisor, shared with students about her experiences with the prestigious program. She encouraged them to apply, noting that the application process is very competitive and cumbersome, but the benefits of being selected as a Fulbright scholar have a lifelong personal and professional impact on grantees.

Matviuk noted the growing interest in international scholarship among Regent students. "Last year five students attended the Fulbright information session sponsored by OGA," he said. "This year, we have forty which shows students' growing interest in international scholarship and experience. This follows a trend among American university students who are interested in obtaining their international experience while studying to be prepared for an increasingly globalized job and ministry market."

OGA will offer another information session for students in the spring of 2013.